Orlando nightclub shooting survivors won't be billed for treatment

Survivors of the June 12 shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, won't be billed for treatment, the Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday. Instead, Orlando Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital, the two hospitals responsible for treating the majority of survivors, will be finding an alternative way to pay those bills.
Orlando Regional Medical Center said it plans to turn to a victims' fund and patients' insurance plans to cover out-of-pocket costs and that it would assume costs for patients without insurance. Florida Hospital said it would not even bill victims' insurance companies for its services. In total, the two hospitals are estimated to be absorbing more than $5.5 million worth of care.
The shooting left 53 people injured, in addition to the 49 people killed. Gunman Omar Mateen, who pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State, was killed in a shootout with police.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
-
2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
speed read The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
-
Bombing of fertility clinic blamed on 'antinatalist'
speed read A car bombing injured four people and damaged a fertility clinic and nearby buildings in Palm Springs, California
-
Suspect charged after 11 die in Vancouver car attack
Speed Read Kai-Ji Adam Lo drove an SUV into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day festival
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
-
Texas arrests midwife on felony abortion charges
Speed Read Maria Margarita Rojas and an employee at one of her clinics are the first to be criminally charged under Texas' near-total abortion ban